Free A Christmas Worth Billions (Countdown to Christmas Book 4) by Jaclyn Weist

this place, I can use the profits to help my kids until I find something else.”
    “This is the Lily I know and love. You’re good until I get back?” Ann put on her coat and stuffed the list in her pocket.
    Lily laughed. “Yeah, I think I’ll be just fine.”
    Ann left, and Lily pulled out her paint. She wrote out the specials on the front windows, and decorated the other windows in Christmas scenes. Her arms ached by the time she was done, but she hoped it would do the trick.
    After washing her hands, she pulled out the roasts she’d been saving and set them on the counter to defrost. She sent a quick text to a friend who worked for the radio station nearby, and another to her friends at the local paper, hoping they’d do her a favor.
    The door opened, and Lily could hear people talking, so she left the kitchen. A few groups of people stood in the entry.
    “Welcome. Table for two?” she asked, then led them to a table. She sat another small family and a group of high school kids.
    Lily made sure the Christmas music was playing in the background and went to grab more menus. She took the orders and hurried to the kitchen to fill them. Of course she would have to send Ann off just before the dinner rush. It was good she’d only written the menu items she already had made. She threw some noodles into the boiling water on the stove and poured sauce over the chicken just before putting it into the warming oven.
    Mary and Patrick came bounding around the corner a few minutes later.
    “Hi, Mom. There are lots of people … do you need you help?” Mary grabbed one of the orders from the counter and started dishing out in between telling Patrick what to do next. Lily could have hugged her right then—if her arms weren’t loaded with plates.
    Lily took the first of the dishes out to the waiting tables and hurried back into the kitchen to grab drinks. “Here, Patrick, take those out to table four. That’s the one in the corner by the Christmas tree.”
    Mary took out two orders while Lily plated the pasta. She set it on the table of a young family just as Ann walked through the door while her arms full of bags. Her eyes widened, and she bustled past everyone and tied on an apron.
    “You couldn’t just wait until I got back to write the specials?” Ann asked in passing.
    Lily laughed. “You’d think I would have learned a long time ago.” She handed off two more orders and went back to the kitchen to check the chicken. She pulled out the items that Ann had picked up and stuck them in the fridge.
    The buzz of conversation coming from the dining room warmed her heart as she chopped up lettuce for salads. Mary added the other toppings to the salad, then helped Lily plate the dishes. Ann took one out to each of the patrons.
    When the chicken was ready, Lily scooped noodles onto a plate and added the chicken and sauce on top. By the time the initial rush of customers was served, she was exhausted. Her kids sat in a corner resting, and Ann chatted with one of the groups.
    Lily’s phone buzzed. It was her newspaper friend, telling her they’d love to do a piece and would be over in the morning. She smiled at the message and started on another batch of chicken. She’d have to answer back when she had a spare moment.
    It was another hour of craziness before she finally said good-bye to the last customer. She sent Ann home once the dishes were done, then turned off most of the lights. She pulled out the poster board and markers Ann had bought and made posters to hang up around the store. With a week and a half left in the diner, she figured throwing one more party on the last night would be the best way to say thank you to the community that had kept it going for generations.
    Once those were done, she got the roasts ready to go for the next morning. She wrapped them in foil and set them in the oven to slow cook. She cleaned up the rest of the kitchen, then leaned down to wake her kids, who had fallen asleep on the floor